[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6301894,"mediaKeyId","2483463-d3c6df6274e911091c8f2c74b4fce9d1","parentId",2483463,"title","Commission approves Regner Park sport-court area as preferred site for new West Bend skate park","audioSeconds",3523,"startMs",923000,"endMs",4446000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2483463-d3c6df6274e911091c8f2c74b4fce9d1&start=923&end=4446","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2483463-d3c6df6274e911091c8f2c74b4fce9d1/thumbnail_923000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6301894/West-Bend-City/Washington-County/Wisconsin/Commission-approves-Regner-Park-sport-court-area-as-preferred-site-for-new-West-Bend-skate-park","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6301894-ebcb3267f616762deaef7bc0d9689cb0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437463&Signature=C~Q-ohBMeVUsl7C4qfFyT72X9uY~4IiS2GYyVhhPHy5GW2hagCYiS2cCcavA3y4Cbx-j3QLqjziQpLOXvj4jsbPYO2GYL1VodgadLBQnVJfDAYNj4LWmm~Hkd~KVc-FcBzu~hbX8NiOMLVPm~wS3MIQvQ8WWwxj7CmHYvlDAPlNbeE9E95ZDrCPoS5OWwIg3hsSY8rkwJ0JsI1PZBGDW57QUvsE9GDntGSRCutlW5Jw2MZAE5mQYO4uiO-lZbrTMWDbNiLlpBajo6L-0bWj8595PxZBhl9G-1tOPIDe3Z2B-~XT2aT5jxFSQ3mmWoqgorBDglEVRp-buWSu8BvGG2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of West Bend, WI","date","2025-02-28T14:40:49Z","article","The West Bend Park and Recreation Commission voted on Feb. 27 to approve the Regner Park sport-court area as the preferred site for a proposed new skate park.

The recommendation follows a staff presentation and a multi-month partnership with the Friends of West Bend Skate Park, a newly formed 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Isaac Sharp, who identified himself during public comment as president of the Friends of West Bend Skate Park, said his group prioritized a modern concrete skate-park design and pointed to lost local spending when families travel outside the city for skate facilities. \"My family — we skate about 2 to 3 times a week, and it's never in the city of West Bend,\" Isaac Sharp said.

Staff and Friends representatives told the commission they reviewed a broad list of candidate sites. According to staff, the group evaluated more than 20 locations and narrowed them to five finalists: the Regner Park sport-court area, a soccer-field site off Park Avenue, Kester Island, a Riverside Park location near the 18th disc-golf hole, and a potential option at Badger Middle School (the district was not engaged in formal talks). The Regner sport-court area was presented to the commission as the most promising site because utilities are nearby, visibility is good, parking and restroom access exist, and the location would allow future expansion.

Staff and speakers described design and site constraints:
- Baseline size: Staff and Friends cited a 13,000-square-foot baseline skate-park target (derived from population-based planning literature and an earlier Tony Hawk project calculation); speakers said the park could be scaled up or down, with the potential to add acreage in future phases.
- Soils and site work: Regner Park is known to have poor soils in places; staff said soil borings and subgrade testing would be required before final design.
- Proximity to ballfield: The site’s position adjacent to Carl Coast Field raises the potential for balls entering the skate-park area; staff suggested fencing, netting or other mitigations would be evaluated in design.
- Surface preference: The Friends group emphasized a modern concrete skate-park pad rather than prefabricated metal ramps, citing noise and durability concerns; staff said prefabricated ramps are noisier and that concrete is the preferred long-term surface.
- Cost and staging: Staff and Friends discussed likely multi-phase fundraising. Estimates shared during public comments included design-package costs of roughly $30,000 to prepare a bid package, and longer-term construction costs that several speakers said could reach into the high hundreds of thousands of dollars. Kester Island was described as desirable but costly to develop because of required restrooms, lighting and electrical work.

Public comment was robust. Speakers included parents, longtime skate-park users, organizers of skate clubs and Friends group members who urged a permanent, modern facility with community involvement in design. Several public speakers described the skate park’s role in youth development and downtown visitation, and asked that the city involve users in design and fundraising.

Vote and next steps: Commissioner motion to approve the Regner Park sport-court area as the recommended site was moved and seconded; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote. Staff said the next steps include selecting a phased design approach, completing required soil borings and site tests, preparing a request for proposals for designers/builders and initiating fundraising, including private fundraising and grant opportunities. Staff estimated about $30,000 would be required to produce a site-specific design package and that larger fundraising would follow to support construction phases.

Ending: The commission asked that community interest remain active during design and fundraising; staff and the Friends group said they will continue outreach and plan broader design discussions as the project moves into the design and fundraising phases.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Parks & Rec - February 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Park and Recreation Commission approved the Regner Park sport-court area as the preferred site for a proposed new skate park after hearing presentations from staff and the Friends of West Bend Skate Park and extensive public comment.","taxTitle","West Bend City, Washington County, Wisconsin","taxId",5138,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6301899,"West Bend staff present draft rules for Westbury Bank Aqua Park, including age limit and ticketing plan",442,69000,511000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2483463-d3c6df6274e911091c8f2c74b4fce9d1&start=69&end=511","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2483463-d3c6df6274e911091c8f2c74b4fce9d1/thumbnail_69000.jpg","/articles/6301899/West-Bend-City/Washington-County/Wisconsin/West-Bend-staff-present-draft-rules-for-Westbury-Bank-Aqua-Park-including-age-limit-and-ticketing-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6301899-bb4381583350d2cbd997a89c14efbdf4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437463&Signature=ReFbZmCAbgzMiIL0m0cpSYcamLop7BESLQqVmKZWt9d7r0JQSVYU78VjC5x2tYwdfQ3gPKODZj9arxdPOFpF-OxTyQ0Z-L0Jo706CC1jCQZrn2lRk1ENRqxeVbGJ70QHdbUuorgoGRVNXoEkDuLTggm6N~tj7873cT5y8vZ63a4W1TqTLxe1O3UtHq4vUrHvCosNKPhiNiJBuYIWgtlJJLpjv0~j1j-~sbBn2bb~6E3rjuO~C22HDFVXylnCLWJDM7clvxWdevXq0uwIjHhNLXzHZwn7UWZsrf-Aj2PpstIaSQbbxkAesU8Sam~0n62y~gqwOl8HnS1Zww6rzFLZ0A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City of West Bend Parks, Recreation and Forestry staff presented a first draft of operating policies for the Westbury Bank Aqua Park during the Park and Recreation Commission meeting on Feb. 27.

The draft lays out rules staff plan to use when the Aqua Park opens for summer 2025, the first season under a seven-year naming-rights agreement with Westbury Bank. \"What you have in front of you is the first draft of the policies that we are hoping to implement at the Westbury Bank Aqua Park,\" Ryan, Parks, Recreation and Forestry staff, told the commission.

The draft proposes the following key points:
- Minimum age: Aqua Park users must be age 6 or older at time of use; that is the same age standard used in 2024.
- Personal flotation devices (PFDs): All Aqua Park users must wear a City of West Bend–issued PFD regardless of swimming ability; private or personal lifejackets would not be permitted.
- Waivers: Minors ages 6–17 must have a parent- or guardian-signed waiver on file; waivers completed for the 2025 season would be retained for the season.
- Session structure and capacity: A typical operating day would include four 2-hour sessions. Each session would have a maximum capacity of 140 people in the Aqua Park; staff proposed reserving about 70 of those tickets for online sales and holding 70 for in-person walk-up purchases.
- Online sales and redemption: Online tickets would be sold through the city’s WebTrack registration system, available for purchase through 10 a.m. Central on the day of a session; each online ticket would contain a unique barcode and could be redeemed by printing the ticket or by showing the PDF or confirmation email at the beach house for scanning. Staff said refunds to the original payment card for online purchases would be issued within five business days of a cancellation.
- Special-event dates and full online sales: On dates where staff expect very high demand — staff named July 4 and the city mud run as examples — the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department may sell all available Aqua Park tickets online and suspend in-person sales for those dates.
- Punch passes and discounts: Punch passes sold before the season would be for in-person use only. Volume discounts were proposed (a $1 discount per ticket for groups of 10 or more; $2 per ticket for groups of 20 or more), with the discount applying only when all tickets in the purchase are for the same date.
- Weather and refunds: Staff proposed that the department reserve the right to not open the Aqua Park (or to close it) if the projected temperature is less than or equal to 70°F; lightning observed or thunder heard would trigger immediate removal of patrons and a 30-minute wait from the last sighting/hearing before reopening. If the Aqua Park does not open for the entire day because of weather, prepaid online passes would be fully refunded. If the Aqua Park closes during a 2-hour session, staff proposed a partial-refund regime: if cancellation occurs within the first 60 minutes, a refund of $4 per ticket would be issued (staff noted an adjusted or percentage approach would apply for group discounts and said those numbers would be edited in the policy). If cancellation occurs after the first 60 minutes, no refund would be issued, according to the draft.

Why it matters: The policy would formalize how West Bend manages capacity, safety equipment and weather-related refunds for a new revenue-generating summer attraction. The commission discussed clarity and longevity of language: one commissioner recommended removing vendor or platform names (for example, Square) and specific dollar amounts from the long-lived policy so the document would not require revision every time a vendor or fee changes. Staff said WebTrack and other transaction links will be accessible from the city website, and that the draft is expected to return to the commission for additional review after this season.

Commission discussion and clarifications focused on communication, enforcement, and operational details. Commissioners asked about exceptions for people bringing their own PFDs (staff said prior year experience indicated most conversations were civil and the department prohibits uncertified personal PFDs for liability reasons), whether the temperature threshold would be an absolute cutoff (staff said each instance would be handled case-by-case and financial viability could keep the park open in some borderline conditions), and how group discounts and in-person purchase allocations would interact with online sales.

Staff indicated some rules and numbers in the draft will be refined. \"There's a pretty good chance we're gonna, after this season, have this policy in front of the commission again for some review and adjustment,\" Ryan said.

Ending: The draft was presented for feedback; the commission did not record a formal vote on the policy at the Feb. 27 meeting. Staff said they plan additional edits and would bring the policy back to the commission for further review.
","Parks staff presented a first draft of operating policies for the newly named Westbury Bank Aqua Park, proposing an age minimum, mandatory city-issued personal flotation devices, four daily sessions with online reservations and walk-up tickets, and weather- and refund-related rules. No formal commission vote was recorded on the draft.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6301888,"Commission approves urban forestry management plan as step toward updated master plan",488,2825000,3313000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2483463-d3c6df6274e911091c8f2c74b4fce9d1&start=2825&end=3313","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2483463-d3c6df6274e911091c8f2c74b4fce9d1/thumbnail_2825000.jpg","/articles/6301888/West-Bend-City/Washington-County/Wisconsin/Commission-approves-urban-forestry-management-plan-as-step-toward-updated-master-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6301888-f711f155b623865b8d50906afc116f91/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437463&Signature=UUq3eCUoo2G1OgnKPtqEqKFCbk7D1gNic~89QW6sY38vUBCj5tKBaWJ9BhdqlyRd-GxE5~9MWiia2zCxzEYCPYdehYak8RV7OPG01S0mXUYPwnSIgN52B2W2nPH4p9LkxGpcwUMtSJqV6l7XvYUmNvzYmpvo72Lo8vq3pICbGxIseGxNnam900JlQ5Hl6u5YOmmsK4pc0tEAiUuRURjnPHc1MLh89INivJFejStX3tKqJJ2~Cg86Fd0IUrlQPz9LvvxMaBfZWBWLtK-FqFyQLSLQ1zRFcFsBLI3LlYKE2fIYq~I9dW5GpuIczGn-q91JdnjhfwpCcq9ohL2Dlr3YZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Park and Recreation Commission approved a staff-produced urban forestry management plan on Feb. 27 and directed staff to pursue a DNR urban forestry grant to fund a consultant for an updated urban forestry master plan.

Rick, staff presenting the item, told the commission the city’s last formal urban-forest plan dated to 1995 and is out of date, particularly after the emerald ash borer (EAB) arrived to the region. He said staff prepared the management plan as an interim, working document to formalize current practices, summarize a recent street-tree inventory update and position the city to seek grant funding for a full master plan.

Key inventory findings and program components Rick described include:
- Street trees: In 1995 the city’s inventory listed about 8,400 street trees; staff’s 2025 inventory lists about 10,200 street trees.
- Potential planting sites and vacancies: In 1995 staff counted roughly 12,800 potential planting sites; the 2025 inventory identifies about 19,570 potential sites. Of those potential sites, the staff briefing reported that roughly 50% are currently vacant compared with a substantially lower vacancy rate in 1995.
- EAB and species mix: The city removed approximately 3,600 trees over a prior 10-year period because of EAB and related removals, and staff estimated they have replaced roughly 2,000 of those removals. The inventory shows a shift in approved-status species: only about 32% of the city’s current street trees now appear on the department’s approved street-tree list used for new plantings; Norway maples and previously common species appear less favored for new plantings.

Rick said the management plan includes a computer-based street-tree inventory, an outreach and education component, an annual forestry work calendar, and goals and strategies to align planting and maintenance practices with staffing and budget realities. He said staff intends to use the management plan to support a 2026 DNR urban-forestry grant application to fund a consultant who would prepare a full urban forestry master plan, an updated street-tree inventory, canopy assessment and budget/staffing recommendations.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the city’s unapproved tree list and whether unapproved means imminent removal; staff and commissioners clarified the list indicates planting preferences going forward rather than a requirement to remove existing trees immediately. One commissioner asked about remaining ash trees (the management-plan notes referenced a count of 114 ash trees in the inventory); staff said that number likely overstates actual remaining ash because some entries were in unmanaged or trail areas and because the inventory-update process is ongoing with county GIS support.

The commission voted to approve the urban forestry management plan as a working document and to allow staff to pursue grant funding for a full master plan.

Ending: Staff said the management plan will help the city seek consultant support in 2026, align planting priorities and preserve an updated inventory as the community moves toward longer-term canopy management and budget planning.","Staff presented an updated urban forestry management plan and revised tree-inventory statistics showing increased potential planting sites and a higher vacancy rate; the commission approved the management plan and staff plans to apply for a 2026 DNR grant to fund a consultant to prepare a full urban forestry master plan.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission approves Regner Park sport-court area as preferred site for new West Bend skate park

West Bend staff present draft rules for Westbury Bank Aqua Park, including age limit and ticketing plan

Commission approves urban forestry management plan as step toward updated master plan